Wringer and wash tubs unit



Nov. 9, 1948. D. J. PORRECA 2,453,340 I I WRINGER AND WASH TUBS UNIT I File d Nov. 9. 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORQ Q POZZECH Nov. 9, 1948. b. J. PORRECA 2,453,340

WRINGER AND WASH TUBS UNIT Filed Nov. 9, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

DJ. P022564 gwzu, 2/ 90 Patented Nov. 9, 1948 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I I v I is 2,453,340 I WR INGER AND WASH TUBS UNIT Q I Donato JQIPorreca, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application November 9, 1943, Serial No. 509,534

' 4 Claims. (CI. 68-22) This invention relates to a'unitary combination of wash tubs and clotheswringer.

An important object of-the' invention is the provision of a wringer' which is so combined witha pair of wash tubs'that'it may assume a position over and between the tubs when in use,

but may be adjusted to a position within one of the tubs when not in use. With thisarrangement, the wringer is adjusted into an out-of-the way position and is taken out of sight when the tubs are covered. Thus, it is entirely practical for the tubs; and wringer to'be'located in a modern kitchen without, marring' the pleasing appearance thereof.

, A somewhat more detailed object of the inve'ne tion is the provision of imech'ani'srnwhich permits this adjustment of the wringer. This mechanism must, of necessity, provide for a raising and lowering motion and a swinging 'niotion. Particular features and advantages of the invention are associated with the provision "of this mechanism.

Yet another objectof the invention is the provision of an adjustable wringer, of the character aforesaid, which includes-a drive to the top roller. This arrangement readily accommodates the feature of adjustability above referred to."

Various other more detailed objects and "advantages of the invention, such as arise in con nection with carrying out the above noted thoughts in a practical embodiment, will in part become apparent and in part be hereinafter stated, as the description of the invention proceeds; I

The invention, therefore, comprises an adjustable wringer that is adapted to assume a service position above and between two tubs, and which may be swung out of this position and depressed into an out-of-the-way position within oneofthe tubs. r The wringer is characterized by providing a drive to the toproller, and the bottom roller has a diametrical dimension at least twice as great as the top roller, whereby it is constituted a carrier or: apron to feed the clothes to the bite of the wringer. p

For a full and more complete understanding ofsthe invention, reference may be had to the following description and accompanying: drawing,.wherein: Y

Figure 1 is a view of a kitchen cabinet, which may'house a pair of wash' tubs, together with an adjustable 'wrin'ger designed in accordance with the precepts of this invention; I

Figure 2 is a sidejview in elevation'iigith some parts broken away. showing the cabinet open 2 and the Wringer in service position. This view also develops, in dotted'lines, the depressed "outof-the-Way positionflof the wringer when not in use;

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the relation 7 of the wringer to the wash tubs; and

"Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed showing of the wringer and associated supporting and driving mechanism.

Referringnow to, the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts,

and first more particularly t'o Figure 1, a kitchen cabinet which may house 'a pair of washtubs and wrin'ger such as provided by this invention is F: referred to in its entirety by the reference characterC. The cabinletC includes a top comprising panels Ill and H, which are hingedly connected' together along the line [2, while the panel lilisjhingedly connected along the'line l3 to the back designated M.:,,As ismore clearly brought out in Figure 3, a pair of, wash tubs l5 and I6 are housed within'the'cabinet C. These wash tubs l5 and I6 are substantially of duplicate construction', and they include abutting center walls I! and I8 over which the wring'er, to be hereinafter described, is adapted to be positioned when in usable or service position. It will be noted that the corners of the wash tubs are rounded, and at the front of the wash tubs the rounded corners l1 and I8 provide a recess l9 which receives the wringer supporting mechanism. This recess I9 is closed by the front wall of the cabinet C that is identified at 20.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 4, it-will be noted that carried on the inner face of the wall 20 and projecting into the recess I9 is a bracket 2| which provides spaced bearing elem'ents 22 and 23. A vertically extending drive shaft 24 is journaled in the bearings 22 and 23, and, between'these members, carries a sheave 25 in driving relation. That is, the sheave is provided with a square opening which receives a complemental shape of the drive shaft, or the sheave 25 may be otherwise keyed thereto.

' A cylindrical casing 26 is positioned in the recess I9 and preferably is immovably anchored to the walls of the tubs I5 and l 6. This casing 26 has a bottom 21 formed with an opening 28 through which extends the driveshaft 24. This opening 28 is continued up through a nipple 29 that is carried by thebottom wall 21. It will be notedthat those portions of the drive shaft 24 which'pass through the bearings 22 and 23 and the opening 28 in the bottom 21 and nipple 29 are circular to provide for the rotation of the drive ted within the casing zfieand has atop-33 formed integrally therewith, and whichtop is in turn formed with an opening 34 in which is journaled the shaft 3!. This opening 34 is continued down through a downwardly extending nipple 35 that is formed integrally with the top wall 33; An expansion spring 33 is fitted at the top around the nipple 35 and at the bottom around the nipple 29. This spring is, of course, housed'within the telescopic casings 26 and 32 and exerts a tendency normally maintaining the casing 32 in an upraiseclposition. .This wall of this casing 32 may be formed with an opening or recess 3"! which is adaptedto receive the end of a detent 38 that-is carriedby an operating member '39 and normally held in eifectiveposition by a spring 43.

Preferably formed integrally vwith the casing 32 and-top 33 is agearihousing 4| providing a chamber 42. The shaft'3l projects into the chamber 42 an'd'keyed to its'free endis a bevelledlgear 43. Aroller shaft 44 carries a complemental bevelled gear 45 that is'keyedthereon. This roller shaft 44 is ,journaled'in an openingrin'the end wall 46 of the gear housingj ll. -The wringer frame, referred t-o initsfentiretyby the reference character'F, may be secured'in anyspreferred manner to-the gear housing 4!, such as'bybeingwelded thereto. This'wringerframe'includes end pieces 41 and' lil, as well as a top guard land a bottom 58. The shaft'44 is iournaled'in openings in the end pieces 4'! and 48 and therebetween carries the top wringer roller The bottom wringer roller 52 is .also journaled in the end pieces 41 and 48.

It is'irnportant to note that the bottom roller 52 has a diametrical dimensionappreciably greater than that of the'top roller5l. .Thus, with the wringer. in the usable position, depicted in Figure 2, the clothes may be placed on thatportion of the wringer roller 52 which projects out beyond the top roller '5l,.and the bottom roller '52 will 'then function as acarrier or apron which feeds the clothes to the wringer.

The drive shaft'24 may be driven fromany convenientsource. One arrangement for'drivi'ng the shaft 24 is shown atFigure (2, which illustrates anelectric motor 53.as beinghoused by'the cabinet C'beneath 'thetubs, and a belt'54.passes over the sheave'25 andanother sheave 55 carried by the driveshaft of'the' motor'53.

,VVhile the modus operandi of .the above .described'mechanism is believed to be obvious, it maybe briefly described by noting that when the wringer is not in useit will assume the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 and the cabinet C will be closed as illustrated in Figure 1. When one is desirous .of using the wringer, the top panels ill and! l are-folded back into the, position shown at Figure2 leaving the wash tubs l5 and open. The-detent 38 will now be withdrawn from the opening 56 in whichit is received whenthe wringer is depressed, the operating member 39 being availed of .for this purpose. The entire wringer assembly .that is carried by the casing 32 will now be -.upraised .due vtothe influence of the expansion spring36, which may, if.necessary,be aided by the manual force of the operator. When the wringer 4 assembly has reached the proper height, the detent 38 will be received in the opening 3! and held in this effective position by the spring 40. It is evident that this upward movement on the part of the wringer assembly is accommodated first by the sliding interfit between the shafts 24 and 3|, and, secondly, by the telescopic relation between the casings 26 and 32. When the wringer assemly first reaches the desired height, it will assume t-theifull line position shownain l igure 3. In this position, the detent 38 will not be received in the opening 37, because these elements will not yet have become aligned. However, whenthe wringer is swung over into the dotted line position of .Figure 3, the detent 38 will snap into the recess 37 and maintain the wringer in its usable or serv-- ice position. "In' this position, the motor 53 may be operated, and the shaft 24 will be driven by the drive belt 54. The shaft 24 in turn drives the shaft 3 I and this shaft, through the bevelled gears 43 and '45, drives the roller shaft.

-When it becomes desirable to restore the wringer to its 'out of the-way position within-the cabinet C, the operating member 39 is availed of to withdraw the detent "38 "from the recess 31. The wringer assemblymay 'now :be-swung back into the full 'line;position of Figure '3 and-then depressed into'the dotted line position of "Figure 2. In this, position, the "detent 38 will snap into the .recess56 to maintain-'the depressedposition.

While .a preferred "specific embodiment of the invention 'is hereinbefore set forth, it is'to '-be clearly understood that "the invention is "not *to be limited to the exact constructions "illustrated and described, because various modi'fications of these detailsma'y-be provided inputting the invention .into practice, within thpurview o'f the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a pair of abutting tub structures'awringer mounting-receiving recess at one end of the line of abutment of said rtub structures andextending onea ch side thereof a wringer mounting: column arranged in said r'ecess with its vertical axis-substantially intersectsaid"wringer into alignment with said line of abutment and the'wall of'oneo'f said tub "structures transverse to said line of abutment and into aninterme'diate'positionwherea por-tionof said mounting structure may be received in saidnotch to confine said wringer within the mar ginal and vertical dimensions dfone of said stub structures.

2. 'In combination, a pair of abutting tub structures, a'wringer mounting receiving recess at one end ofthe'line ofabutment of said'tub structuresan'd extending on each "side thereof, an L-shaped wringer mountingcolumn having its short leg lying in a plane transverse-to the portion received in said "recessya wringer structure carried by said short leg of said mounting column, a notch adjacent said mounting" receiving recess in the wall of 'one Of'said'tubstructures, said mounting column being adapted to carry said wringer into, alignment with the line of abutment of said 'tubstructures and the wall of one of said tub structures transverse tosaid'line of abutment, jas'well'asto-an intermediate position to wcauseisaid.s'hortleg and'said wringer to be received within the .vertical'and'marginal confines of one of said tub structures for storage.

3. In combination, a pair of abutting tub structures, a Wringer mounting receiving recess at one end of the line of abutment of said tub structures and extending on each side thereof, a wringer mounting column arranged. in said recess with its vertical axis substantially intersecting said line of abutment, a wringer structure mounted on said mounting structure, said mounting being adapted to carry said wringer into alignment with said line of abutment and the wall of one of said tub structures transverse to said line of abutment and into an intermediate position to confine said wringer within the marginal and vertical dimensions of one of said tub structures.

4. In combination, a pair of abutting tub structures, a wringer mounting receiving recess at one end of the line of abutment ofsaid tub structures and extending on each side thereof, an L-shaped Wringer mounting column having its short leg lying in a plane transverse to the portion received in said recess, a wringer structure carried by said short leg of said mounting column, said mounting column being adapted to carry said Wringer into alignment with the line of abutment of said tub structures and the wall of one of said tub structures transverse to said line of abutment, as well as to an intermediate position to cause said short leg and said wringer to be received within the vertical and marginal confines of one of said tub structures for storage.

DONATO J. PORRECA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

